Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1887-12-09
Public School Id s tteearnls CsA1ity


the children and often in violation Of
law. All interests have IS seemed Is;
reqnire some inquiry into the conditions
OF the Es schools il this,
county and M the manner of their.
admin nistration. haye ,berefor In
struersd State Institute Conductor " & n Il
Rochsleau, at @tf the close Of the institute
held by him at St. Cloud, te make -
End uKannoEnced visitation Of
4 ~ ~ representative schools Of this county
especially Of those against which com
plant had been made, to inspect them
with care and to report the facts 8.
NJ This has been BY done him.. and liz
the following Bu ummary i4give stiell llataetss
and conclusions az are based upon the
Erepertsof Mr.. Roeh eleau, the statistical
report fthe county superintendent and
my own acquaintance with the af6airs Of
the county. ~. ss M. 81 <
h The county contains l41 districts, With
. population Of 80 GOO. of which about
Eve per cent are German. Many of the
county districtsare exclusively German
and Catholic. The language of the
home is German, ,of course, and the first
appearance Of English is the introdnc~
ton OF English words in eolloauial Ger
man, making a Language neither English
nor good German. s. % = 5ss..ss. VII. e.
AS to the sceools, -nothinSreported by
Mr.. Rocheheau, nor learned by my self
gives me reason to bel,eye that there is
any special opposition to the pubie
sch system among the people. Ac-
corsaing 80 the statistical report of the
county superintendent forss5the last
school year, Is districts held school
school ten months and 65 per cent of
the districts supported school six or
mors months, while the average for
the county was 6.5 months. This is six
tenths of month above thesaperage of
the state, and leaves but i3 counties
that chow higher average for the year.
sto the teachers, 45 per centare males,
mhich is Is per cent above she state
average. The wages to males averages
A4 per m onth, and to females S33, which
which is So per month aboWs the state
average Tor both males and females.
These facts seem to prove that these
people are supporting schools which in
length and expense at, leakt compare
very fAvorably with those. nf the other
counties. .,'rs ~ J. s'r4
Now As to the qtality Of Tho instruc-
ton. Mr.. Rocheleau reports the follow
ling visit: Richmond registers 10Y pu-
I pills With an attendance of 95. These are
crowded into school room of ordinary
size, and. are all smIer one male teacher.
Their ages range from 5 to IA years
Yet in spite of these difficulties this was
| by far the best school visited, and 7
understand frors the county superinten-
| dent it is by far the bestin the German
! district. Here; is illustrated the old
proyerb. GAS is the teacher 80 is the
| school" The work in the language and
| numbers was above the average. The
| pupils speak English well and read in.
telligently.' The teacher was educated
for the PUBLIC schools of Germany, in
Which he taught FIVE years. aud he told
me that IN this time be has not had a
Protestant child in his school,. IL, ILL.,,
| The general .charcterist;cs of other
schools visitea wera a 1ack OF organiza-
ton and system, nh program Of work
having been found in any school visited,
and in many arc ignorant of the
ordinary appliances and methods
that we are accustomed to see
in American schools. Tn some schools
/ the German Language has a. prominence
not allowed by law.att1 not in the. la
teres of tie children ifthey are to be-
come intel ellieentS American citizens.
German readers and in some coses Ger
man arithmetics, have been in. use.
The hour allowed by law for instr,lction
ina foreign langoage shsuld be.contined
7 to- that purpose, aid all Instructions in
subjacts for Information aud discipline
I tshould be in the English language. Mr.
1 Rocheleau reports that the comfy sup.
lerinteEdent has ordered the iiun1ediate
texclusion' of German arithmet;es. As
ITO the use of sehaelhouses for religions
Iinstruetioa Mr.. Racheleau reports that
he neither saw nor learned anything tc
confrrn that report. but that it was III
| xileases denied =s . .s.s., Z /,
4 And now having had a residence 8.
| some years in etearns county, and q
| personal acq ntance with many. of.the
| teachers and schools of that county u
feel warranted in tie conclusion thai
I the local controversy at MeIrose, which
involved pe,sens4 national and arelie.
|ionl elements, has led TO some wrong
| judgnent concerning the condition 81
things in the comfy. s.s sss,. S. 81. .s s
/ Doubtless the hcts Of foreign peo.
| pie with a foreign hIIguage, very MANY
of whom are iifiterate : in their owl,
/ tongue. and of q sreli giouss faith whose
clergy strongly sssvnr parotlliaI acboois,
toll heavily against the eGf4Gie 81 ney of the
tpublic school system in that county. AS
a result, schools are negl glected the quail
| iticstions Of teachers are made Of aec-
}ond ary inlpertaBes. and the improve
ment Of the i,1lsiyen is very unsatisfac-
tory Rut there is no disloyal feeling
Tor tipathy toHaTd the schools preya-
lent. The peouae are growing more In
Itereste,l and nnaa5 are d esiro,,s OF gaiin-
Ing all the adra htages lfor their children
that the state aiera, and at the. same
time will ren,nin loysl sato tl,eir religion.
/ AT the late inatitute held at st. Cloud
nearls all the achsrs. we're CathDlie,
Including several sisters from the BEN
ledictine eonYen;, who il appreciate at
tenticn and interest took high rank il
tie institute
The theory ofonr government b, that
the separation tlf church and stats q Id ID
| the Interest," Of each and that our public
school sysfem is nit a enaIing IN d,
a tenslenck fnom religion any more
than loyalty 10 pnr gtvernment implies
alienation From he church sss
For the reEI.oyA! of the present evils
[of indiii iiesenes knd ep pnsition to 1os,a:
Esclln0ls, u hiels iii seonst med "a no single
fc0unty NM cNSs a 1afIt Hal III. i 1sl;1<.9lv